


The Perfect Proposal

by artistic-writer (Itrustyoutokillme)



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: CS AU, Christmas, F/M, Fluff, Lovely, Vacation, proposal, romantic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-19 13:58:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13125159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Itrustyoutokillme/pseuds/artistic-writer
Summary: Killian Jones has an image of the perfect proposal in his head, the one way he will surely win over the woman he wants to give his heart to for the rest of his life.  But will taking Emma on a five day break to the romantic, Austrian mountains help him find the courage and perfection he so desires?





	The Perfect Proposal

**Author's Note:**

> Written for @pearlmackie for this years Once Upon a Festive Giving Exchange 2017 - I hope i nailed all of the things you love about CS! This has been written for a while now, and i made the fanart first, but thought you would like two gifts, so wrote a little ficlet too! I know, I know, 5k isn’t exactly little but it is for me lol Have a glorious Christmas my lovely! <3 With special thanks to my lovely beta for this project, @winterbaby89 <3 <3

Killian was ready.  He had been ready for months, simply waiting for the right time. He had been carrying the tiny, velveteen box around with him, petrified that Emma would somehow discover it if he had left it at home.  It was easy to hide really, Maine was one of those states that often lends itself to needing a coat of some kind, which means plenty of pockets and plenty of hiding places.

Only now, as he stands on top of one of the whitest snowy peaks he had ever seen, Killian was suddenly not ready.  

This holiday had been a planned getaway after they had both decided they needed to unwind, and to just celebrate them.  They had decided they needed some alone time, time to get away from everything, but as they had previously found out, it was rather difficult to ‘escape’ family.  In the gentlest way he knew how, Killian had suggested to Emma that they leave America and holiday somewhere further away.  Somewhere in Europe.

As it was Christmas, they had gone somewhere with snow.  Following a quick internet search they had decided on a small, alpine retreat where they could indulge their fondness for skiing, in Austria. They chose a huge log cabin with an open plan living space and jaw dropping panoramic views of the white capped mountains around them from the floor to ceiling glass windows and a sun soaked balcony.  Killian had never been to Austria before and the subtly placed cabin wasn’t even a distraction from the Dachstein Mountains around them.

The day they had arrived, they were both too exhausted to do anything but stoke a log fire, warm some cocoa on the stove and enjoy each other, wrapped up in a huge real fur blanket.  The cabin owners had left them a short list of instructions on how to work everything, but they figured it could wait until they were warm and toasty.  When they retired for the night, having lost the natural light of day early in the evening, Killian checked on the tiny black box he had smuggled across the ocean with a smile.

Their second day, Emma had wanted to explore the wooded area near by.  So they had piled on clothes over their thermal base layers, and fumbled with the zips on their snow gear.  The crackling fire was the only sound as Killian watched Emma pull a grey, woolen bobble hat down over her ears.

“What?” She smirked, catching him watching her.

Killian stepped towards her, closing the gap between them and pulling her into his arms.  “Just admiring the view,” he smiled down at her, pressing his hand into the small of her back.

Emma rolled her eyes and relaxed into his embrace, swaying in his arms.  “The windows are behind you,” she purred.

“I know,” Killian grinned boyishly, holding her eye contact.  Emma’s eyes were the most dazzling shade of green with tiny flecks of amber littering the inner hues and if Killian didn’t know better, he would say the sparkle behind them was only for him.

“You old romantic,” Emma arched into him, flattening her palms over his chest with a smile that melts his heart.  All of the self doubt he had previously experienced faded away the second Emma smiled up at him.

Once again, he was ready.  

Only, things didn’t go exactly as he had hoped once they were actually outside.  Emma had slipped, losing her footing on some ice and tumbled down a snow covered slope where she landed flat on her behind.  It had kind of ruined the mood, so between laughing and scooping her up into his arms to carry her back to the cabin, Killian had decided that there would be more opportunities to tell the woman he loved how he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

On the third day, Killian arranged for them to try their hand at mushing.  They were both dog people, turning to blubbering messes at the sight of a puppy, so he figured that Emma would love the feel of being in control of a whole team.  It was something he had also wanted to try, and after a few quick tutorials from the musher, they had decided to take it in turns to steer.

The sled was rickety, despite being made of some very strong yet lightweight wood, but it glided over the snow like it was a feather.  The dogs pulled at their harnesses so hard that whilst she was sitting in the basket, Emma felt the front lift up, and briefly lost sight of the dogs.  Snow churned up from their paws splattered over her face but she didn't mind, too lost in the exhilaration to care.

When it was time to switch positions once more, Killian halted the dogs at the end of a designated trail.  They all stopped on his command, each dog’s tongue lolling to the side as they panted and sucked in the cold air between yelps of detest.  Killian dropped the anchor, stamping on the two pronged metal spike until it was buried under the snow, then made his way from the back of the sled.

The snow came up to back of Killian’s knees, cooling his lower limbs instantly and he sucked in a deep breath with the shock.  When he reached the side of the sled he offered an outstretched hand to Emma and pulled her to her feet.

“That was amazing,” Emma breathed, stepping over the edge of the sled and gasping at the sudden cold enveloping her feet.  Even through her boots her feet felt the chill of the snow compacting around them.

Killian brushed some speckles of unmelted snow from her face with his mitten covered hand and when he knew she was steady on her feet, rubbed his hands up and down her arms to try and put some warmth back into her.  He had noticed Emma’s chin begin to quiver as her teeth chattered together, so he pulled her tight against his chest.

“I knew you would like this,” Killian told her softly, squeezing her tightly and pressing his lips to the tip of her nose.

“OH!” Emma squeaked, pulling back.  “Your lips are cold!”  She laughed.

Killian raised an eyebrow.  “Well, I have been on the receiving end of the wind for twenty minutes,” he laughed with her.

“And now you get to warm up in the basket on the ride back,” Emma beamed, hooking her arms back under his and pulling him back to her.  Killian tucked her under his chin, the stubble on his jaw catching in the wool of her hat.

“I’m alright,” Killian told her as he watched the moon join the low sun in the sky behind her.  “It’s getting late.  If you want to ride on the sled on the way back, I don’t mind.”

“Oh no,” Emma pushed him back and shook her head.  “Stop.”

“What?” Killian chuckled, stepping after her as she walked backwards.

Emma halted him with her own mitten covered hand and narrowed her eyes.  “The ch...chivalry,” she shivered.  

“Chivalry?” Killian asked innocently.  

Emma waved her arm around, ignoring the pain in her muscles from the dropping temperature.  “You think you can just charm your way into having another turn as musher,” Emma smirked and stepped back again.

Killian mirrored her smirk.  “Seems you have caught me, love,” he said softly.

Emma smiled just before she fell backwards, having tripped on an unseen root beneath the snow.  Killian was unable to grab her in time and Emma landed in the deepest pile of snow he had ever seen with a muffled oomph.  He couldn’t help but laugh at the sounds she made as she struggled to free herself from the packed snow.

“Killian!” Emma squealed at him as he laughed, clutching his middle from the spasming pain radiating out from his diaphragm.  “Killian Jones, help me!”  She groaned in frustration, grabbing his hand tightly.

“Alright, alright,” he clutched her hand, before stepping backwards pulling her free of the snow cavern, brushing a dusting of it from her as she stood in front of him.  “Are you okay, love?”

“I’m fine,” Emma huffed.

“Are you sure?” Killian dipped his head so that he could catch her gaze, brushing hair from her forehead and pulling her hat back down over her ears when her body betrayed her words and began trembling with shivers once more. Emma looked up into his eyes, the twinkle in them outshining any star in the sky.  He loved her more than he could say; unconditionally, with honesty, and absolute certainty that she loved him back just as much.

“I’m fine,” Emma repeated, narrowing her eyes.  “And I’ll be just fine mushing these dogs back to town,” she glared at him, unable to contain her twitch of a smile.

“Oh,” Killian smiled when she had worked out his plan, well, part of it.  Killian had wanted to tuck her back into the sled basket and begin their journey back to the cabin, stopping half way as the moon rose in the sky to replace the sun.  It was then that he planned to drop to one knee, show her the ring he had been hoarding for so long, and ask her to marry him.  But if she figured he just wanted a second turn, he would let her think that to keep his secret.

“You forget, Jones, I know you better than anyone else,” Emma chided, stomping back to the waiting sled.  The dogs sensed the return of their musher, jumping at the end of their ropes, barking and squeaking at each other in anticipation.

Killian watched her with a swell of love in his heart, even if she had thwarted his plans to propose once more.  It wasn’t Emma’s fault, and she wasn’t even aware of what he was doing, but with the holiday already half way done, he was running out of time.

“Aye, love,” Killian smirked, smacking his hands together and rubbing them together furiously.  “You do.”

The fourth day had been one they decided to spend in the cabin.  After all, what good was a holiday if there was no resting involved?  Killian woke before Emma, as usual, padding barefoot to the kitchen to brew some coffee.  He knew Emma well enough to know that she wouldn’t even get out of bed without the aroma of roasted coffee filling her nostrils.

Once the kettle was filled and set atop the gas fuelled hob, the blue flame licking at the underside of the cast iron pot, Killian moved to the lounge.  He knelt down in front of the open fireplace and used one of the nearby tools to poke around at the ash that had been left from the night before.  Killian scooped it carefully into the provided ash bucket before restocking the cavity with dried logs.  Killian tutted to himself.  There were only two logs left which meant he would have to go outside and chop more, as per the owner’s instructions.

With a grunt he pushed himself to his feet, heading back to the bedroom to grab some clothes.  Peeking around the doorframe, Killian noticed Emma was still asleep, so he made sure not to make a sound as he got dressed.  The kettle began to whistle from the kitchen and with wide eyes, he almost ran from the bedroom to stop the shrill sound before it woke Emma.  Killian wrenched the knob that turned the gas off and the kettle stopped its whistle, the sound dying off and just silent steam pouring from the spout.

Shooting a glance over his shoulder, Killian froze, waiting for any indication that Emma was awake.  When he was met with silence, he moved to the couch and fell into the seat, leaning forward to pull his heavy snow boots from under the coffee table where they had been drying by the fire from the day before.  Killian pulled them on one at a time, rising to his feet and heading for the door.

Emma was pulled from the pleasantness of slumber by a dull, rhythmic thumping.  It echoed in her head, in sync with the heartbeat in her ears, and she focused on the thumping, to drown out the sound of silence.  Was she still dreaming?  Was there a woodpecker tapping on the inside of her brain?  With a foggy haze clouding her cognitive ability, Emma could only groan as she rolled over to find Killian’s side the of the bed cold and empty.

Emma peeled an eye open, pressing her face into the cool edge of the pillow with a frown.  The noise continued, and as she rubbed at her eyes, it grew louder.  The silence outside was broken by a thud and a splitting noise time and time again, and finally, Emma could take no more.  She simply had to find out what was going on and where the noise was coming from.  

Throwing back the huge, thick comforter, Emma was instantly hit with the chill of the room.  The room was cold, the usually comfortable warmth in the air missing and as soon as her feet touched the floor, Ema shivered.  Why was it so cold?  Where was Killian?  Meanwhile, the thumping continued, so Emma pushed herself to her feet and followed the sound, grabbing her jacket and throwing her arms into the sleeves along the way.

“Killian?” She called, peering around the wall that lead to the kitchen area.  He wasn’t there, but the noise was louder.  Emma noticed Killian’s snow boots were missing and that the fire was out.  That would explain why it was so cold in the cabin, and with a smirk, Emma realised what the repetitive thudding actually was and immediately headed towards the back door.

Emma wrapped her arms around herself, the jacket she was wearing rustling.  She was still in her pajamas bottoms so her jacket looked oversized, but it was keeping her warm as she approached the balcony.  What she saw warmed her instantly, setting the love in her heart afire and making her lips twitch sideways into a smile.

Killian was chopping wood, repeatedly lifting half logs onto an old tree stump and swinging a razor sharp axe until the logs split in two.  He was sweating, tiny beads littering his brow that glistened in the morning sunlight.  Tiny wisps of evaporating hotness wafted up from his hair and neck, his coat long since discarded under the heat of his exertions.  He took a breather, straightening up with a wince and exhaling a long, visible breath.

“Can’t you chop that wood faster?” Emma teased, leaning her elbows on the snow covered railing.  “It’s freezing in here.”

Killian whipped his head toward her voice, a smile erupting on his face.  He let the axe slip between his fingers until the head hit the ground beside his boot and leaned against it with a cocky grin.  “Aye? I hadn’t noticed,” Killian winked, kicking a tuft of snow in front of his foot.

Emma raised an eyebrow and felt a shiver run up her spine.  “It’s cold out here too,” she said softly, her teeth chattering.  “Come back inside.”

Killian lifted the axe again, swinging it hard until the head hit the tree stump.  He quickly gathered some of his split logs, bundling them into his arms and heading back towards the cabin.  Emma smirked as he approached, leaning over the handrail a little more with a pout, eagerly awaiting his lips on hers.

Killian walked right up to the balcony, pressed his lips to Emma’s and hummed contently against her lips.  Emma’s hands were cold on his cheeks and he gasped when she slid her chilled fingertips to the back of his hot neck, relishing the way she giggled when he made a very unmanly yelp.  “You only want my body warmth, love,” Killian smirked, his eyebrow jumping up on his face.

“Oh, you got me,” Emma rolled her eyes.

“Come on sweet,” Killian nudged his head sideways and reluctantly pulled his head from her grasp.  “Let’s get you warm.”

Once Killian had successfully stoked the fire with Emma sitting on the nearby couch in her pajamas, he pushed himself to his feet and turned to face her.  He offered her a warming smile and moved to join her, his heavy woollen socks moving silently across the floor.  Killian dropped into the seat next to her and when he lifted his arm, Emma instinctively pressed herself to him.  Killian rubbed a hand up and down her arm, pulling her tighter to him and turning his head to kiss to top of her head.

“There, that’s better,” he mumbled into her hair, inhaling her sweet scent.

“Mmmm,” Emma hummed contently, clutching harder at Killian’s sweater.

“Miss me, love?” He smiled down at her.

“Always,” Emma whispered into the fabric of his sweater.

The tightness in Killian’s chest became more apparent and he felt the prickle of nervous heat flush over his body.  He stared into the fire, watching the flames flicker and the wood pop and char.  Emma’s one word admission was like a trigger, setting Killian’s heart fluttering in his chest and suddenly reminding him that he had a very important question to ask.

“Are you okay?” Emma asked, shaking him from his daydream when she got no response.

“Aye, love,” Killian said nervously, pulling himself from her grasp.  “I’ll be right back.  I just need to use the little boy’s room,” he smiled at her, pressing his lips to her cheek for a quick kiss.  Emma looked confused for a second, but Killian assured her he would be right back, and that it was simply the cold weather bringing on the call of nature.

As soon as Killian was in the bedroom, he scrambled around in the top drawer of the bureau where he had left the ring box, grabbed it and rushed into the en suite bathroom.  Was he having a panic attack?  His breath caught in his throat and Killian clutched at his chest, flattening his palm over his heart that was thundering in his ribcage.  He gripped at the edge of the sink, his hands shaking as he stared at the box in front of him.  Taunting him.

Why was this so hard?  Killian had been in possession of the ring for so many months he was almost annoyed with himself for buying it in the first place.  Emma was not a material person.  She wouldn’t care if he had a ring or not, and all he cared about was that she was happy.  Was she happy?  Emma seemed happy, so would giving her a ring change anything?  

Killian lifted his head and stared at the reflection facing him.  “Come on, Jones,” he growled at himself.  “You can do this.  She will say yes.  Stop being such a bloody coward.”  He took a deep breath, nodding to his reflection and swiped the ring box off of the vanity.

The only sound Killian heard when he re-entered the room was the crackling of the fire.  He was gripped with fear when he couldn’t see Emma anywhere. He rushed to the couch and felt relief wash over him when he saw her blonde locks poking out from underneath the blanket that covered her.  Killian relaxed instantly, moving around to the front of the couch and kneeling down in front of Emma’s sleeping form.

She had fallen asleep, maybe from delayed jet lag, but considering they only had a few days left of their holiday, Killian decided to let her sleep.  Tomorrow they would go skiing, and when they were back at the cabin once more, Killian was sure he would find his opportunity to propose.  The perfect moment would arise, he was sure of it, but for now he would let Emma sleep.  Emma whimpered in her sleep, before sighing deeply.  The blanket had slipped from her shoulders and a few wayward strands of her hair fell over her face.

“Maybe next time,” Killian whispered so softly his voice was barely audible as he pushed Emma’s hair from her face.  He reached out and tucked the blanket back under her chin, running the back of his knuckles over the apple of her cheek and mirroring her smile when Emma’s lips twitched.

The fifth and final day of their holiday was filled with skiing, and lots of it.  Killian had never been so exhausted in all of his life, never realising how much of a tremendous effort it actually took to stay upright on skis.  They had attended a short instruction seminar earlier, but then they were free to roam the slopes as much as they liked.  And Emma liked.  A lot.

“Are you not tired, love?” Killian huffed, digging his ski poles into the snow on either side of his bright red skis.

“No!” Emma squeaked excitedly, pushing off the the snow in front of him and heading back up the incline of the hill.  “This is so much fun!”

They had found a quiet, out of the way slope and were enjoying having it all to themselves.  Emma, the more confident skier, effortlessly sailing down the white covering time and time again whilst Killian, the more cautious, took his time walking sideways and checking the density of the snow underfoot.  Emma had laughed at him, throwing her head back and giving him the open mouth smile that caused familiar palpitations in his chest.

There was something about Emma Swan that made Killian Jones want to hold onto her forever.  He was sure it was more than love, even greater than true love, but as he had never felt it before, he was both amazed and petrified by how she could make him feel.  There were so many little things that culminated into one giant burning ball of endearment that was sometimes so overwhelming, Killian simply froze.  Like now, as Emma glided over the alpine snow towards him, skidding to a stop in slow motion right before him, the sun radiating around her form like an Angel sent to guide him.

Killian was so lost in his awe of Emma that he almost missed the polarized flash of another skier as he came hurtling down the slope towards them.  The other skier was clearly inexperienced, losing his footing and almost tripping over his own skis.  He called out, digging his ski poles into the snow behind him but it was to no avail.

“Emma, watch out!” Killian screamed, pushing Emma aside and taking the full impact of the wayward skier.  The man, clad in an all white tracksuit which was ridiculous for skiing, tumbled into Killian with such a force that both men were sent hurtling further down the slope and into a safety barrier at the bottom of the hill.

“Killian!” Emma cried, sliding after them in a slow side to side descent.  Her heart pounded in her chest and the chill in the cheeks prickling with heat and panic.

Killian was in a heap, knocked out completely by the impact.  Before Emma had even got to his side, resort paramedics were by his side, taking off his one remaining ski and assessing him for injuries.  Miraculously he was mostly unhurt, the soft snow having absorbed most of the impact from the collision, but they would take him to the nearest hospital anyway.

“He is not sedated but we gave him something strong for the pain…”

“He has a lot of bruising…”

“He is a lucky man…”

The voices in Killian’s head were, as it turned out, not fake as he had first suspected.  He was just coming around from the accident, and the pounding in his temple was proof of that.  The glow of light from the room cast a dull red over the inside of his eyelids and he could feel warm fingertips on the side of his face, easing the tension in his muscles.

“Swan?” He croaked, not opening his eyes but moving his eyeballs around under his eyelids frantically.

“I’m right here,” Emma soothed and Killian felt her clutch at his hand.

“Are you alright?” He rasped, coughing a little and wincing from the pain that shot through his chest.  He finally peeled an eye open and saw Emma sitting beside his bed.  He didn’t know how he had arrived in said bed, or this room, but he recognised it unmistakably as a hospital.

Emma let out a small relieved laugh, expelling all of the pent up emotions she had been fighting to hold back.  She surged forward, planting her lips on his so hard he thought she might knock his teeth out.  Killian fought the scorching pain in his muscles as lifted his own arm, cupping Emma’s cheek and smoothing his thumb over the swell of her cheek.  Emma’s lips trembled against his, as her hot, fat tears soaked both of them.

“Are you alright?” Killian repeated when Emma finally pulled her lips from his and rested her forehead on his.

“Killian…” she sobbed.  Chastising him with one single word, his name, that told him so much all at once.  Emma rolled her forehead against his, letting the panic she had been feeling escape in the form of more tears.

“I’m alright,” Killian smiled weakly, brushing her tears away with the back of his knuckles.

“They said you could have been seriously hurt,” Emma choked out between sobs.

“But I was not,” Killian told her softly.

“Even the thought of losing you made me feel so cold and empty,” Emma continued, her sobs catching in her throat.

Killian cupped her face in both of his hands until she was forced to look him in the eyes.  The bright green hue of Emma’s eyes was watered down with the salt of her tears, dulled by her shock and fear.  It had never been like Emma to open up so freely, even in the face of losing somebody that she loved, and Killian loved her even more for it.

“I’m not going anywhere, love,” He smiled at her with a raised eyebrow.  “Do you really think you can get rid of me that easily?”

Emma laughed at his teasing, pulling from his grasp to grab a tissue from the table beside the bed.  As she did, she spotted Killian’s belonging that had been placed inside a clear, plastic ziplock bag when they had removed most of his clothing.  Emma spied a small, square box and stopped breathing.

“Yes,” She breathed quickly, looking back to Killian with wide eyes and a tear stained face.  

“Oh, well, in that case…” Killian frowned.

“No, Killian,” Emma shook her head and grabbed the bag.  She set it down on the bed and when Killian realised what she was looking at, and what “yes” meant, he paled.  Emma fished in the bag and pulled out the box, holding it between them with a gasp.  “I mean, Yes,” Emma nodded.

“Oh,” He breathed, the word nothing more than a sound on his breath.  “About that…”  Killian rubbed the back of his neck nervously, letting his finger linger behind his earlobe.

“This is what I think it is, right?” Emma gulped, lifting her gaze briefly before opening the box and looking down at the ring inside.  Killian had decided on a plain white gold band with a white diamond set on top, and when Emma saw it she snapped the box closed nervously.

“Well, yes,” Killian admitted.  “But I have been trying for months to find the right time to… you know, ask you properly.”

Emma watched Killian fidget like a scolded child that had been caught doing something he shouldn’t have been.  “Months?” Emma sounded hurt.

Killian watched the spark fade from Emma’s eyes once more and he swallowed the dry lump in his throat.  “I just wanted it to be perfect,” he sighed, looking down at his lap as his top teeth  fiddled nervously with a patch of beard hair below his bottom lip.  When he looked back up to Emma, he was surprised to see she had dropped to the floor and pulled the box open once more, only now it was facing him and the glow in her emerald eyes was back.  “Emma, what are you…”

“Killian Jones, will you marry me?”

The slacked jawed expression he gave her seemed to only spur her on to continue.

“Killian Jones, you are many things.  I have never met such a handsome, talented, caring individual in all my life.  Everybody loves you.  Everyone thinks we are one of those couples that can never remember their anniversary because they simply feel like they have been together forever, so a little date is irrelevant…”

“It’s September 19th…” Killian smirked.

“Shut up,” Emma glared, trying to hide her grin.  “The truth is, we, well some of us, are just not bogged down with the unimportant things in our lives.  What is important is having somebody in your corner, someone to help you find your way…”

Killian reached out and clutched Emma’s hand when her tears began to flow once more.  Emma quickly turned her head and wiped the tears on her shoulder, the tiny box shaking when her hands began quivering.  “You are my person, Killian.  There is no right time for something like this, you just have to know when the universe is perfectly aligned for two stars to collide forever.  You are the light in my darkness, the… the…” Emma faltered.

“The peas to your carrots, love,” Killian smiled and Emma laughed.

“Stop ruining my proposal with your Britishness,” she feigned annoyance until he apologised with a bow of his head.  “What I am trying to say…”

“Yes,” Killian interrupted her quickly, squeezing her hand.  “Emma Swan, I will bloody well marry you.”

Emma launched herself into Killian’s arms, mindful of his bruises as she peppered kisses all over his face.  Killian took the box from her hand and pulled the ring free from its foam security, aligning the white gold circle with Emma’s finger and slipping it on.  When it fit, mostly intuition on his part, Killian had never felt more connected with anyone in his entire life.

“This was not how I had this planned,” he told her softly, pressing his lips to hers once more.  

“You can’t plan for perfection,” Emma beamed, stroking her fingers through his scruff.

“Aye, love,” Killian agreed, pulling her into his arms.  “That you cannot.”


End file.
